Brownback would welcome FBI probe of KanCare contracts

Governor sees no evidence of malfeasance, only smears

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, shown talking to reporters following a reception for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole in Overland Park, says he hopes FBI investigators check into the awarding of Medicaid service contracts under the KanCare system. Brownback says Kansas used a proper bidding process to award the contracts, and calls allegations that his former aides used political influence to secure those contracts for clients 'smears."

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said Tuesday that he will talk with the FBI if he is contacted about a reported investigation into allegations about the awarding of contracts to privatize the state’s Medicaid program.

The Republican governor told The Associated Press that he has also directed state employees to cooperate fully if they are contacted by the FBI. He says he hopes the FBI does contact people because Kansas went through an open bidding process in awarding the contracts.

“If I am asked, I will cooperate and talk with them, but I think this is mostly about a smear campaign,” Brownback said. “And that’s what I have seen of the allegations.”

The Topeka Capital-Journal was the first of several news outlets, including The Associated Press, to report the existence of an FBI probe into the activities of Brownback confidante David Kensinger and his Topeka firm, Parallel Strategies, which he and two former Brownback staffers formed last year.

Kensinger left the administration in April 2012 as it was considering five bids from private companies seeking one of the three contracts to manage the state’s Medicaid program, since renamed KanCare, an initiative headed by Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer.

Three private companies are now overseeing the management of the $3-billion-a-year program, which provides health coverage for the needy and disabled. Near the end of June 2012, the administration awarded contracts to Kansas subsidiaries of Amerigroup Corp., based in Virginia Beach, Va.; Centene Corp., which has its headquarters in St. Louis; and United Healthcare, based in Minneapolis.

Brownback said he doesn’t know of anyone who has been contacted by federal agents regarding the reported allegations. He told The Wichita Eagle on Monday that he hasn’t seen evidence that anything illegal has transpired related to lobbying or the awarding of the contracts in 2012.

“If we are contacted, if I am contacted, we will cooperate. The office will cooperate,” Brownback said. “And really, I kind of hope they do contact people if the charges are about KanCare, because we have gone through a bidding process on KanCare — open bidding.”

FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton has said repeatedly that the agency never confirms or denies the existence of an investigation.

Brownback told the Eagle that his administration put the contracts for the Medicaid program out for bids, seeking to avoid any impropriety when awarding them.

“We try to run things at a very high standard. We try to bid out most state contracts. And do it purposely so that you get the lowest bid but also so that you don’t have the ethical questions raised about it,” Brownback said.

The governor cast aside the allegations that Kensinger or others did anything illegal before or after leaving his administration.

Kensinger’s ties to Brownback go back two decades, before Brownback won a seat in the U.S. Senate. Kensinger managed Brownback’s successful Senate re-election campaign in 1998 and later served as the chief of staff in his Senate office. In 2004, he founded his own lobbying firm.

Kensinger managed Brownback’s 2010 campaign for governor and served as chief of staff in the governor’s office until returning to lobbying and private consulting. He also serves as president of Road Map Solutions, a nonprofit group supporting Brownback.

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Next he will be saying the FBI investigation of his and David Kensinger's pay-to-play scheme is President Obama's fault like he claimed the $92 million dollar Kansas tax revenue loss caused by his reckless tax policy and the resulting Moody's downgrade of Kansas municipal bonds were.

Rational Kansans must remember all of the extremism that has been foisted upon us and assert their majority numbers to send Brownback packing in the November general election.

Well, all that glitters isn't necessarily gold, and finally, at least the AP has published a follow up to the article that had been touted to be the goose that laid the golden egg.

Yet, even still, the article stated, "The Topeka Capital-Journal was the first of several news outlets, including The Associated Press, to report the existence of an FBI probe" while later stating, "FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton has said repeatedly that the agency never confirms or denies the existence of an investigation". Therefore, the assumption is that although the first article claimed the existence of an FBI probe, the FBI spokeswoman has repeatedly stated it is against their policy to ever deny or confirm such information.

So, it appears until there can be some type of actual evidence other than hearsay and accusations, this sensational news story was over before it ever started.

"The Eagle and the Kansas City Star have since spoken to three lobbyists and a former state official who said they were interviewed by federal investigators as early as 2012 and as recently as a month ago. They asked not to be identified.

Sources have said they were interviewed about whether Kensinger and others have been involved in pay-to-play influence, in which political promises are made in exchange for money."

He claims, in this day and age, to not have a work cell phone or email address. It's entirely possible he has no idea his administration is full of criminals but it's important to remember that he wants it that way.

Is he asleep at the switch while the worst people in Kansas ruin the state or is he an active participant? Is there really a difference?

Of course he will comply with the FBI IF contacted. That's what innocent people do. Unlike everyone in the Obama administration with no less than a dozen examples of blocking and stonewalling investigations, because why?

It's going to be entertaining until November. They know the countries mood right now. People are fed up with scandal in chief. You liberals need to be way more concerned about your demigods "transparent administration" and the investigations just getting started there. America cares about the IRS scandal but care a lot about Benghazi. As much as you want to play it down and insist "not a smidgen" of corruption exists. People have had enough of the "hope and change" libs. Brownback easily wins reelection, mark it down. Yes we can!

"Records available online through the secretary of state’s office show it was established in September 2013, with Scott listed as the resident agent. The group’s website lists Brownback, Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as among its clients. The list also includes the Kansas Association of Realtors, Kansas City Power & Light Co. and the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty."

It is very curious that some of you are denying a formal investigation by the FBI. Reputable outlets are publishing this story.

American Heritage Dictionary definition of fascism: "...a system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism."

hasn't seen evidence that anything illegal has transpired related to lobbying or the awarding of the contracts in 2012." Just like he did nothing illegal when he held meetings at the Governor's Mansion with no one but Republicans. Remember? During that meeting he talked about his agenda. He even ignored being warned by more than one Republican that they were in violations of the open meetings law. Brownback did not invite any Democrats or media members. Shawnee County DA investigated and found "Unintentional wrongdoing", aka, illegal activity. Brownback had been in high political office for a very long time and he did not know about open meeting laws? Yea, right! He and several members of his cabinet are so entwined it will be a wonder if the FBI can untangle their mess. Think people. Kensinger worked for Brownback for something like 20 years. All of a sudden, in lowly Topeka Kansas he sees an opportunity to get wealthy running a lobbing firm. But lobbing is not enough. "He also serves as president of Road Map Solutions, a nonprofit group supporting Brownback." Looks like an ethics violation to me.

he hasn't "seen any evidence that anything illegal has transpired". His rose colored glasses won't let him. He also thinks everything in Kansas is rosy. The truth is also hard to see when you don't accept it. Sounds like another Republican governor back east.

You have to hand it to far left progressives, they have taken character assassination to a whole new level.
It's election season and the progressive elite have to rev up the base regardless how unethical or corrupt so they ring the bell tell their Pavlov's dogs what to think, say and especially who to vote for.

When questioned, everyone around him will forget or not know anything, because of their fear of Brownback's retribution. Isn't that how Brownback works? It worked for him when he was having the meetings at his home. Or, if that logic does't work for him, he will just blame everything on everyone around him. He will look innocent, somehow.

If us conservatives get a little skeptical of government investigations on conservatives. Because we all know a government agency would never use it's power or authority to hinder , harass, or sabotage us right ?? Cause we have never had any blatant evidence of that happening right? We have never had lets say........ An IRS official plead the fifth like a member of La Cosa Nostra right. That wouldn't happen.

He won't debate you, or answer any questions you pose. Or explain himself when you point out his emotional exaggerations are false using facts. But he will work the Koch brothers or Fox News into every post. It used to be "gerrymander" he put in every post. Speaking of Fox News have you ever seen one single solitary channel on TV freak out and phsyc out so many people? The libs have every form of media possible. We got one channel. And it kills them we have that.

Since we now know the IRS "scandal" was a lie and everyone who harps on it is a liar, what we're left with is actual history.

Whenever liberals have organized in this country we've met fierce resistance. In the gilded age, our forebears were murdered by their government and by the forebears of the Kochs for demanding fair treatment. In the '60s, the FBI infiltrated liberal groups and frequently provided agents provocateurs.

And the most asinine comment of all, that we have a liberal media. Liberals get about six hours a night on MSNBC, and that's really it. I mean, seriously, CNN hired a white supremacist to be an expert on racial issues. I've noticed that Lara Logan still has a job with CBS and Dan Rather still doesn't, even though the biggest difference between Logan's Benghazi story and the one that got Rather fired being that Rather's was true.

And even on MSNBC, twice has a fiery top-rated liberal commentator been fired for the apparent crime of being a fiery liberal.

No, conservatives have no reason to distrust the federal government. President Obama and the legal community will bend over backwards to not mess with conservatives. You can see that with Cliven Bundy, who stole $2 million from taxpayers and then provoked an armed standoff with the government. Meanwhile in New York an Occupy protester who elbowed a cop who grabbed her breast from behind hard enough to leave scratches and bruises just got seven years for assault.

If the FBI is looking in to someone like Brownback, you know they've got something on him, because the conservative persecution complex is too annoying to set off for no reason.